Music producing unit



April 1s, 195o Flled Oct 14, 1949 2 ai 3 2 @.R/ y 6 .I 00u/ E x e ,TOEN M m @www 5 Q AWR/...H s L/EAA 2 .t B LC L M m u Ea 2 A BG DI 9/ PZ J, N Mm m U v m H W/ U R Mm L C am PR .P N C I s U M April 1s, 195o Flled 001; 14, 1949 Patented Apr. 18, 1950 MUSIC PRODUCING UNIT Nathan Paul Blair, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Mattel Creations, Inc., Culver City, Calif.,l a corporation of California Application october 14, 1949, serial No. 121,400

11 Claims.

My invention relates to a musical unit and has particular reference to the construction of a musical playing device for incorporation in musical toys.

This application has particular reference to a musical producing unit using a pluckable music comb, the details of which are more fully disclosed in the copending application of Theodore Duncan, led May 24, 1948, being Serial No. 28,767, and an endless plucking belt the details of which are described in the copending application o'f' Nathan Paul Blair, led October 14, 1949, being SerialNo. 121,399.

One of the more serious problems in producing an inexpensive music producing unit for incorporation into childrens toys is to produce a unit which Will give suflicient volume to make it attractive to children.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a musical producing unit having suiiicient volume without distorting any of the tonal quality obtained by the use of a die-cast musical comb described in the above identified copending application.

It is highly advantageous in the manufacture of such a unit to be able to quickly and easily adapt the unit to any desired tune or composition. If such unit be so adaptable, it can .be incorporated in a great variety of toys, thereby materially reducing the cost of production to make such units more universally available for children.

I have discovered that unless the musical comb is secured very tightly against any member upon which it is mounted undesired and undesirable vibrations are generated.

`l The proper mounting of such musical combs as heretofore known have been cumbersome and expensive insofar as the manufacturing is concerned. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a musical instrument wherein the musical comb can be mounted by relatively simple and inexpensive means and yet which results in a clear transmission and ampliiication of the sound produced by the vibrating piece.

This' is accomplished by employing the prlnciples illustrated in the copending application to Theodore Duncan above mentioned, wherein a die-cast musical comb is produced having mount ing ears adapted to be riveted against a sounding 1 board, wherein the surface of a supporting memb er of the musical comb in contact with the sounding board is slightlyl convex to therebyplace the sounding board in close contact with the musical comb and also in tension.

I have observed that if a sounding board, regardless of its material, is placed in tension in' the substantially conical conguration it assums the quality of grained wood insofar as acting' as a sounding board is concerned.

It is the further object of my invention to provide means on the sounding board to direct and control the distortion canise'd` by the contact presi;i sure between the convex edge of the supporting member of the musical comb and the adjacent area of the sounding' board' to thereby furthr'eni hanc'e the quality and volume of the sounds produced.

It is also one of the objects of my invention to produce a music producing unit which is adaptav-` ble to play substantially any' tune desired and which can be adapted for use in connection withv a great variety of musical toys.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from the drawings and specifi.' cations relative thereto.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a music producing unit embodying the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a. fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the music producing unit illustrated in Figure 1.

In describing an embodiment of my invention, reference is iirst made to Figure 4 wherein I have illustrated an'exploded perspective view of one embodiment of my invention, which comprises essentially a musical comb designated generally I0, a pluckin'g belt'designated, generally I I, and' mounting -and sounding board designated generally I2.

The musical comb I0 is formed of a bar I5 having a plurality of steps I6, each of which is'- formed with a truncated conical boss suchv as IT, these bosses being formed with flat faces I8.

A vibratable wire' I9 is secured in the bar and extends outwardly from the 'front face of each of said bossesl IT. AS will be seen in Figure 1, the' vibrat'able wires I9 become progressively shorter from left to right in such a mannerv that the tone emitted from each of said wires follows a musi cal scale. For further details on the method of embedding the wires I9 in the bar I5, reference is hereby made to the said copending applica;- tion Serial No. 28,767.

The bar I5 is formed with laterally extending ears 2I and 22 at each end thereof, respectively;

3 each of the ears being formed with an aperture adapted to receive a rivet 23 or other suitable fastening means, adapted to secure the bar I to the sounding board I 2.

The sounding board I 2 is formed with a pair of upwardly extending bosses 25 and 26 having a slot therein adapted to receive an axle shaft 21 in rotatable engagement. The bar I5 is formed with a pair of forwardly extending arms 28 and 29, each of which is formed with apertures 30 and 3l, respectively, in axial alignment. An axle shaft 32 is rotatably disposed through said apertures 30 and 3| and is formed with a crank handle 33 extending outwardly from the musical toy.

A resilient, exible, endless, seamless belt 34 having integral outwardly extending lingers 35 is wound about the axles 21 and 32 so that upon rotation of the crank 33, the axle 32 causes the belt 34 to travel as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, so that the lingers 35 move in the proper sequence past the wires I9 to thereby pluck the same, causing them to vibrate and to emit musical tones, the frequency o f which is dependent upon the length and diameter of the respective wires.

For further details of the belt 34 and the method of producing the same, reference is hereby made to the said copending application Serial No. 121,399.

I prefer to form the melody comb with the bar I5 being of substantial thickness with respect to the teeth I9 so that the teeth I9 will be raised thereby above the surface of the sounding board I2 and so that it will be relatively rigid with respect to said sounding board.

Any reference hereafter in the specification or claims to a relatively rigid bar or a relatively flexible sounding board shall be deemed relative to each other; by that is meant that the sounding board is more flexible than the bar I5 so that upon being secured together in intimate contact the sounding board will conform to the shape and conguration of the rigid bar.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the lower edge of the bar I5 is convexed slightly, so that when the rivets 23 are set, the sounding board conforms to the contour thereof and is thereby placed, in tension, having internal stresses which tend to produce a satisfactory sounding board having the tonal qualities of a fine-grain wood, even though made from such materials as thermal-setting plastics or metal.

The sounding board I 2 is formed with a curved rib 4I adjacent the back of the bar I5. The upwardly extending rib 4I causes the stress lines set up in the plastic or other material forming the sounding board I2 to radiate in a substantial circle so that a substantially conical-shaped section is formed in the plastic material. The rib is for the purpose of directing and concentrating the stress lines to further amplify the sound in the sounding board and to eiect a better tonal quality.

Thus, it will be seen that I have produced a musical toy unit capable of being produced at a relatively inexpensive cost in large volumes, which gives a satisfactory tonal quality and having satisfactory and suiiicient volume to readily be enjoyed by children and which is highly advantageous over any of the prior art. The objectives above enumerated have therefore been accomplished. v

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is.

recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, and means for plucking said teeth in predetermined order to play a given melody, the bottom of said bar being convex downwardly, spaced fastening means holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board, the normal contour of said sounding board surface being such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to Warp upon being secured to said bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board.

2. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, and means for plucking said teeth in predetermined order to play a given melody, the bottom of said bar being convex downwardly, holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board, the normal contour of said sounding board surface being such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board, said sounding board being formed with an arcuate rib in spaced relation to the back of said bar and arranged to direct said stress lines into substantially converging relation.

3. A musical unit comprising a relatively ilexible sounding board, a melody comb havingr pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, a pair of parallell said axle, the bottom of said bar being convex.

downwardly, spaced fastening means holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board, the normal contour of said4 sounding board surface being such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to warp upon being securedA to said bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board.

4. A musical unit comprising a relatively flex-.1

ible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth .in-

parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end-- terminating in a. common line. a pair of paralleli spaced fastening means.

5.4 axles, one of whichis disposed in spaced relation with the common line of said pluckable teeth, an endless belt disposed over said axles having meansV on the outer surface thereof adapted to pluck said teeth upon the rotation of said axles, tliebottom of said bar-beingconvex downwardly, spaced fastening means holding said bar in intiniate surface contact With a; surfacel of said sounding board, the normal contour of said sounding board surface beingV such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to Warp vupon being secured to said bar to. thereby set up' stress' line's in' said" sounding board', said sounding board being` formed' with an` arcuate rib in spaced relation to the back of said bar and arranged to direct said stress lines into substantially converging relation.

5. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, a forwardly extending arm at each end of said bar having axially aligned apertures at the outer ends thereof, an axle rotatably disposed through said apertures in spaced relation from and parallel to said common line of said pluckable teeth, an endless belt disposed over said axle having plucking fingers on the outer surface thereof, said fingers being adapted to pluck said teeth upon the rotation of said axle, the bottom of said bar being convex downwardly, spaced fastening means holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board, the normal contour of said sounding board surface being such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board.

6. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible Sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a relatively rigid bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, a forwardly extending arm at each end of said bar having axially aligned apertures at the outer ends thereof, an axle rotatably disposed through said apertures in spaced relation from and parallel to said common line of said pluckable teeth, a second axle disposed in spaced relation to said rst axle and parallel thereto, an endless beit disposed over said axles having plucking fingers on the outer surface thereof, said belt being adapted to travel past said pluckable teeth so that said fingers will pluck said teeth upon the rotation of said axle, the bottom of said bar being convex downwardly, spaced fastening means holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board, the normal contour of said sounding board surface being such that said fastening means cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board, said sounding board being formed with an arcuate rib in spaced relation to the back of said bar and arranged to direct said stress lines into substantially converging relation.

'7. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, sound producing means having a relatively rigid mounting bar and pluckable' teeth 'secured to said? sounding boardiii'e intimate surface Contact: therewith at'l at leastf. three spaced points;- the means definingA said: spaced points on said mounting' bar' and said sounding board lying in surfaces normally of different co'ntours", spaced fastening means holding said surfaces in intimate contact and effective to cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said relatively rigid bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board.

8. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, sound producing means having a relatively rigid mounting bar and pluckable teeth secured to said sounding board in intimate surface contact therewith, the contacting surface of said mounting bar being convex toward said sounding board and of a dierent contour from the normal contour of said sounding board, spaced fastening means holding said surfaces in intimate contact and effective to cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said relatively rigid bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board.

9. A musical unit comprising a relatively flexible sounding board, sound producing means having a relatively rigid mounting bar and pluckable teeth secured to said sounding board in intimate surface contact therewith at at least three spaced points, the means defining said spaced points on said mounting bar and said sounding board lying in surfaces normally of different contours, spaced fastening means holding said surfaces in intimate contact and effective to cause said sounding board to warp upon being secured to said relatively rigid bar to thereby set up stress lines in said sounding board, said sounding board being formed with an arcuate rib adjacent said sound producing means and arranged to direct said stress lines into converging relation.

10. A musical unit comprising a relatively ilexible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a bar having a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from one edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, saidbar having a forwardly extending arm at each end thereof having axially aligned apertures at the outer ends thereof, an axle rotatably disposed through said apertures in spaced relation from and parallel to said common line of said pluckable teeth, an endless belt disposed over said axle having plucking fingers on the outer surface thereof, said fingers being adapted to pluck said teeth upon the rotation of said axle, and spaced fastening means holding said bar in intimate surface contact with a surface of said sounding board.

11. A musical unit comprising a relatively ilexible sounding board, a melody comb having pluckable teeth secured thereto, said comb comprising a bar having a bottom, front and back edges, a plurality of pluckable teeth in parallel spaced relation extending from the front edge of said bar, each of which has a free end terminating in a common line, said bar having a forwardly extending arm at each end thereof having axially aligned apertures at the outer ends thereof, an axle rotatably disposed through said apertures in spaced relation from and parallel to said common line of said pluckable teeth, a second axle disposed in spaced relation to said first axle and parallel thereto, an endless belt disposed over said axles having plucking fingers on the outer surface thereof, said belt being adapted to travel past said pluckable teeth so that said fingers will pluck said teeth upon the rotation of said axle, and spaced fastening means holding said bar in UNITED sTATEs'PATENT's- 1" intimate surface centact with a surface of said Number *Name Datef Sounding beam 346,812 Gaillard Aug. 3, 188 434,384 De Vlbiss Aug. 12, 189 N. PAUL BLAIR" 634,103 Brandt Oct. 3. 189 950,794 Noeth Mar. 1, 191 REFERENCES CITED 2.478,602 Stein Aug. 9, 194

. FOREIGN PATENTS The following references are of record in the 10 me of this patent: Number Country Date 85,285 Germany Feb. 5. 189 105,835 Germany Sept. 29,v189i 413,171

Great Britain Ju1y'12, 193 

